Published: Friday, September 27, 2013 at 05:56 PM.

Now it’s a matter of the Wolfpack following through on that in its next assignment Saturday against Central Michigan.

“It actually made me personally a little mad,” N.C. State linebacker M.J. Salahuddin said after seeing what the Wolfpack is capable of doing. “We could have been doing this all along. I asked myself what I could have done to do this in the (first) couple of weeks.”

Still, N.C. State lost that nationally televised game to Clemson. It’s a matter of getting back on the winning path as a season-opening stretch of four consecutive home games winds down for the Wolfpack.

“It’s all about getting wins and I think everybody else is about getting wins,” quarterback Pete Thomas said. “We played hard. We fought hard, but we didn’t win the game. That’s what we’re here for.”

Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling of N.C. State might be on the sideline with a hamstring injury, so that would reduce Thomas’ targets.

Coach Dave Doeren has a familiarity with Central Michigan. In his two seasons as coach at Northern Illinois, his team’s lone defeat in Mid-American Conference play came to Central Michigan.

Now it’s a matter of the Wolfpack following through on that in its next assignment Saturday against Central Michigan.

“It actually made me personally a little mad,” N.C. State linebacker M.J. Salahuddin said after seeing what the Wolfpack is capable of doing. “We could have been doing this all along. I asked myself what I could have done to do this in the (first) couple of weeks.”

Still, N.C. State lost that nationally televised game to Clemson. It’s a matter of getting back on the winning path as a season-opening stretch of four consecutive home games winds down for the Wolfpack.

“It’s all about getting wins and I think everybody else is about getting wins,” quarterback Pete Thomas said. “We played hard. We fought hard, but we didn’t win the game. That’s what we’re here for.”

Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling of N.C. State might be on the sideline with a hamstring injury, so that would reduce Thomas’ targets.

Coach Dave Doeren has a familiarity with Central Michigan. In his two seasons as coach at Northern Illinois, his team’s lone defeat in Mid-American Conference play came to Central Michigan.

In 2011, Northern Illinois lost at Central Michigan one week before the Chippewas came to Raleigh and lost to N.C. State. Last year, Northern Illinois crushed Central Michigan 55-24.

“I don’t care who we’re playing, it’s game on,” Doeren said. “It’s the most important game we have. There will never be a dip in our intensity as a staff regardless of the opponent.

“The players will always get up for a big game (such as vs. Clemson). It’s keeping them up for the ones that are not as big from a scheduling standpoint. But from a big picture standpoint, this is the most important one we have right now.”

Records: Central Michigan 1-3, N.C. State 2-1

When: 3:30 p.m. today

Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh

Series: N.C. State leads 1-0, winning 38-24 on Oct. 8, 2011

Extra points …: Central Michigan is 0-8 all-time against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. … N.C. State linebacker Robert Caldwell was credited with 13 tackles in each of the last two games. He leads the Wolfpack with 30 tackles this season.